I do not think its especially higher than in other countries. It seems to be higher here because:
- Depression has less stigma in Switzerland and people go openly for treatment. In other countries, they try to hide due to social stigma and might not go for treatment.
- Here people are aware that depression is a curable disease and reach out for help while more than half of world are not aware that it can be treated or even know depression is a disease. I know many people who think depression as a personality trait rather than a type of disease (or a symptom of other illnesses)
- Here people have money (insurance) for a treatment of depression and in many other countries they only go for most necessary physical ailments because they do not have money for something they do not consider vital (though it is).
- Almost 75 % of the world population do not have easy access to mental health facilities. All rich countries also do not have good mental health institution. Rich countries do not equal to developed countries (countries with high Human Development Index).
- In addition there are other factors of course like long winters, work stress, unemployment, single life, family life, economic situation, social pressure, illness, genetic condition, and so on with one or more factors prevalent in all the countries of the world though dominant factor varies. Of course depending on country some social groups (age or economic background or climate) are more vulnerable to depression than others. But overall depression rate of a country might not be so different than rest of the world.
I don't think the problem is that serious here, Swiss seems to be friendly and expressive, specially younger generation. Also believe me winter here are really mild and short, try living in any of Nordic countries where you will have no sun light for weeks and winter starts already in September and last till end of April. I lived in one of these country and now i am happy that i have moved here. It's October end and you can still enjoy +15 degrees and sunny days.
Having lived in other places, what bothers me about winters here is not the temperature, but how rainy and dark it feels. I've lived in a place where the winter was very long (October to April), but it was sunny and bright. It felt completely different, the weather never got me down the way it does here.
Believe me you haven't seen darkness, ask any person from Finland or Sweden. There winter day light is from 9am - 3:30pm now add -10 to -15 degrees and cleaning snow of your car before going to work everyday :-)
Well, let's face it, that article actually doesn't say that one in six Swiss residents suffer from symptoms of depression. It just says, "around 16 percent of the population experiences symptoms linked to depression such as lack of energy, sleeping problems, non-specific back problems and loss of appetite."
Now, loss of appetite can have many other causes, and so do lack of energy, sleeping problems, and non-specific back problems.
Let me give you another example: Absentmindedness can be a symptom of Alzheimer's, but that doesn't mean I've Alzheimer's because I sometimes forget why I opened the fridge.
Oh, and that report doesn't say that those 16% are a particularly high figure. Actually, it doesn't make any comparisons with other countries. So how come you think "depression and stress rate is high in Switzerland"? Do you have access to international reports we don't know?
Depression is a state where one losses hope. They give up because that can not meet expectations or obligations. Often anxiety and depression are related. Anxiety is a state where one is constantly thinking what they must do, be or have.
Today many people are told that happiness is the ultimate goal. And how does one become happy. Ah, money and stuff, success and look perfect. Now just a minute, they have all that and they are still not happy! Oooops!
Or
they do not have all that stuff which means they will not be happy.
or
They are supposed to be happy but they are not. So they become depressed but they are not supposed to be depressed. So they become depressed because they are depressed.
So what is the solution. Stop trying to be happy, or successful, perfect etc etc.....
According to opinion polls, most Swiss ARE happy. Are among the happiest people in Europe
And wealth and happiness are not connected. Rich people are not necessarily happy. Less affluent people can be quite happy. Many people eating a sausage at a Cervelat place are far happier than many guests of the Kronenhalle
Britain has a higher population density than CH. But not by as much as I would have thought. To me the UK always feels overcrowded because where there are built up towns and cities, they are often very built up.
Yes of course there are large parts of the country which have no real development, but the population spread in the UK is very skewed towards urban living these days.
I am so sorry for writing your country name Swiss. it was the FARSI name of your country. I tried to change it to Switzerland. but i did not find the edit tools.
and i am so sorry to write this odd post.
i am an industrial design student now and a researcher. I am researching about depression all aroud the world.The causes and treatments of this illness that these days it became really much specially in western developed countries. and the relations of this illness to the people life style in different cultures and countries.
and i need to talk to real people about this topic beside statistics. so thank you all of you for answering my questions.
Take the Po-plains in northern Italy for comparison. Even when it is rainy and dark, it is "brighter" than in Zürich because of the landscape where the bit of light still around can spread. In countries with hard and long but dry winters (not Western Europe but Russia for example) it can be very cold but has more sun. Cold and sunny winter days are not depressing, but damp and dark ones are
You have to deduct 60 % of the land area of Switzerland as that is the alps, which are basically NOT inhabitable. Go up to St. Moritz and realize that this is just a village. The 60% alpine areas have only a minimal population which is even shrinking. The largest Canton of Switzerland, Graubünden, has a population of the size of the one of Kreis-2 in Zürich. And as soon as you deduct the 60% you see the reality
If Meteo-TV-DRS prouldy declares "sunny tomorrow above 1200 meters" they simply ignore the fact that 85% of the people live below 850 meters above sea-level and above 200 meters above sea-level.